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Bedrosian follows in father's footsteps

Cam's father won 1987 National League Cy Young Award as member of Phillies

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Bedrosian's MLB debut 1:09

6/3/14: Cam Bedrosian earns his first career strikeout and induces two groundouts in his Major League debut

By Alden Gonzalez
/
MLB.com |

Cam Bedrosian's mom tells him she sees her husband every time he takes the mound, because Steve and Cam look so similar facially and because what they do -- come out of bullpens, with command of a fastball and a slider -- is so identical.

"But he was a little more crazy on the mound," Cam Bedrosian said with a big smile on his face. "I'm more calm, I should say. I try to be aggressive. But he was just so hard-nosed."

You've probably heard of Cam's father, the 1987 National League Cy Young Award winner who saved a Major League-leading 40 games for the Phillies. Through 14 seasons, the standout reliever finished his career with a 3.38 ERA in 732 appearances.

These days Steve, or "Bedrock" as he was nicknamed, lives vicariously through his son -- the 22-year-old Angels right-hander who went from Class A Advanced to the Major Leagues in just two months.

"It's an honor and a blessing," Steve said of having a son who's following in his footsteps.

Cam is the youngest of four brothers. He was 4 years old when Steve retired from the game, and he got the benefit of growing up around his dad. Steve took Cam through most of Little League and was his coach at East Coweta High School in Sharpsburg, Ga., not allowing Cam to throw more than 100 innings in an entire calendar year.

"I was really blessed, because he finished his career right when I was actually getting into playing baseball," Cam said. "It worked out perfect."

Cam went through life known as Bedrock Jr., a gift and a curse that befalls on the son of any famous athlete. But as Steve said, "I think he's handled it great.

"I want him to have his own path, his own distinction," Steve added. "He's going to earn that."

Cam, the 29th overall pick in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, began that trek shortly after having Tommy John surgery in April 2011. He posted a 6.31 ERA in 21 starts for Class A Cedar Rapids in 2012, and then transitioned from a starter to a reliever early in 2013. As a reliever, Cam finished with a 4.57 ERA in 63 innings for both of the Angels' Class A levels before taking off in 2014 -- where he notched five scoreless outings for Class A Inland Empire. Cam posted a 1.47 ERA for Double-A Arkansas and struck out 45 batters in 24 innings at both levels.

"If you look at the stats after Tommy John, it was a lot of touch and feel and coming back, trying to feel for the fastball, trying to command the fastball," said Steve, now retired from coaching and the Board of Education. "And then probably in the middle of last year, he started getting that last missing ingredient, which was confidence."

Steve isn't shy about providing advice when he deems it necessary, and he of all people would know. But he picks his spots.

"I try to help when things are important," Steve said. "Other things, he has to learn on his own."

Steve's biggest advice?

"To go out there and be a bulldog," Cam recalled. "He said, 'You have one, maybe two innings, and give it all you've got for that amount of time.'"

Steve made it to Houston in time to see Cam make his Major League debut on June 3, the same day he was surprisingly added to the active roster. Steve was there with his wife, Tammy, along with one of Cam's brothers and his only sister. And when Cam came out of the bullpen, Steve stood up, got his iPhone out of his pocket and recorded his son's 1-2-3 sixth inning, which included a strikeout and two groundouts.

Now, Steve has his sights set on the upcoming weekend.

It'll be Father's Day on Sunday, and the Angels will be in Atlanta, which is roughly 40 miles from Cam's hometown of Senoia, Ga. Steve, a member of the Braves for eight years, signed up to attend an alumni event at Turner Field that day. There were several Sundays to choose from when approached by the Braves, but he chose the one that coincided with the Halos coming to town, even though it seemed almost impossible for his son to be in the big leagues by then.

"But in the back of my mind, I thought, 'Wouldn't it be great?'" Steve said. "Moms and dads always think their kids can be there really soon. But realistically, yeah, we figured it would take some more time. We were tickled to death the way he was throwing, but he's come a long way in a short time. It's unbelievable, really."